Autodesk FM

[#1]

Ok... you are a CAD user working in FM... and you want training!

what kind of thing would you be interested in learning about?
specific software packages for FM?
vanilla autocad used as an FM tool?
MAP used as an FM tool?
how office software could link with AutoCAD to accomplish certain tasks?

What tasks do you do?
Which would you like to do, if you only knew how? We're talking specifics
here...

I've done a lot of research on a lot of things specific for FM, but, I'm not
sure what other users are out there doing. I'm contemplating making some
tutorials, writing another article or possibly even proposing to teach an
online course. Of course, I know next to nothing right now, I'm more than
willing to admit that... but, if I have an idea of what people are looking
for specificially, I'd be happy to teach myself, use any resources I have to
find out...

[#2]

Hey Mel,

I want to help you develop more about FM. I am a CAD guy currently going to embark in a FM journey!!!

I would love to know how MAP can be utilized as an FM tool with no need for third party software.

David Shabat
davidshabat@videotron.ca

[#3]

I'm not sure where we fit in. I work with PIDs and Loop drawings in a Paper Mill. We use block attributes in all of our drawings to store data about equipment and field instruments. We had a software package called CadLynx that would read an AutoCAD drawing, extract the block attribute values and write them to an Access database. It could also read the Access database and then write to a set of AutoCAD drawings. We used CadLynx to create an Instrument/Equipment database for everything in the mill. Does any other software exist that will do what CadLynx once did?

Thanks for your help.

Tony

[#4]

Thanks for chiming in there, Tony...

it is fairly easy these days to extract attribute info to access or excell,

having the live link between the database and the dwg is the trickier part,
but, should be able to be accomplished with some limitations with regular
autocad (would use dbconnect, and would use a text label inserted from the
db rather than an attribute) of course, I haven't really tried that since
2002 or so... waiting for a specific task I'd use it for to take the time to
experiment again...

would this be something where you'd start out with attributes or would you
start out with the specs in your db?

there should be different ways to make your equipment list, depending on how
they are represented... like, say you have a specific block representing a
certain piece of equip, I think you can just have a table, and make one of
the fields query for the number of instances where that block shows up in a
drawing. again, not something I've done, but, I know I've seen it discussed
extensively in other newsgroups...

wrote in message news:4886226@discussion.autodesk.com...
I'm not sure where we fit in. I work with PIDs and Loop drawings in a Paper
Mill. We use block attributes in all of our drawings to store data about
equipment and field instruments. We had a software package called CadLynx
that would read an AutoCAD drawing, extract the block attribute values and
write them to an Access database. It could also read the Access database
and then write to a set of AutoCAD drawings. We used CadLynx to create an
Instrument/Equipment database for everything in the mill. Does any other
software exist that will do what CadLynx once did?

Thanks for your help.

Tony

[#5]

We in fact have created dozens of specific blocks with attributes, e.g. Manufacture, Model#, Serial# etc. for each device that we insert into our drawings. We then used CadLynx to extract this data and write to an Access database. No programing involved, just set-up and configure CadLynx to work with our drawings and database. I was hoping AutoCAD Map or another third-party software could do the same.

Tony

[#6]

Map will allow you to link information in attributes, text or enclosed text to a db. The only catch is you need a unique identifier, but your cadlynx I would imagine will have already created that for you. I'd give a reseller in your area a call, they should be able to show you the db link no sweat. If you are going the vanilla acad route then dbconnect is the answer. Message was edited by: nzeeben

[#7]

Each device has an instrument or equipment number which is unique and we use this in our drawings and on a field tag. I'll look into what Map's capabilities are.

Thanks again.

Tony

[#8]

Tony, I'm curious as to how this would actually work...
would it be possible for you to email me a drawing file with a few blocks in
it. I'd like to see what I could do with them just starting with that and
MAP...

also just curious as to what version of office you are running (most people
are running 97, as I am here in the office, but, I've heard connections
between acad and office are much more impressive with the newer versions)...

Thanks,
Melanie
wrote in message news:4888028@discussion.autodesk.com...
Each device has an instrument or equipment number which is unique and we use
this in our drawings and on a field tag. I'll look into what Map's
capabilities are.

Thanks again.

Tony

[#9]

Melanie,

I'll have to ask one of the dept. engineers first. I'll let you know. It's not that security is so tight here but they don't want to share any engineering/process designs either. I could create a dummy Loop as an example.

We're currently running AutoCAD 2004.0.0 and MS Office 2002 with SP3.

Tony

[#10]

I understand... if it helps, reassure them I am dumb and I don't play well
with others. oh, and I work in a hospital...

yeah, it doesn't have to show much, I just basically want to play with
pulling info out of the atts and putting it back in...

~m

wrote in message news:4888425@discussion.autodesk.com...
Melanie,

I'll have to ask one of the dept. engineers first. I'll let you know. It's
not that security is so tight here but they don't want to share any
engineering/process designs either. I could create a dummy Loop as an
example.

We're currently running AutoCAD 2004.0.0 and MS Office 2002 with SP3.

Tony